Garment hanger



R. H. REYNOLDS GARMENT HANGER Aug. 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1950 R. H. REYNOLDS Aug. 28, 1951 GARMENT HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1950 Patented Aug. 28 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT HANGER, RobertH. Reynolds, Clarksdale, Miss.

This invention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly to hangers especially adapted to support skirts, trousers and similar garments.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved garment hanger for supporting skirts, trousers and similar garments, said garment hanger being very simple in construction, being adapted to support garments over a substantial range of sizes, and being very easy to manipulate.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved garment hanger especially adapted for supporting skirts, trousers and similar garments by engaging the garments at their waistband portions, the hanger being very inexpensive to manufacture, being sturdy in construction, and being neat in appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational View of an improved garment hanger constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the waistbancbengaging portion of the hanger flexed upwardly in a position engaging the garment, the garment being shown in dotted view;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the garment hanger illustrated in Figures .1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of a modified form of garment hanger constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the garment hanger of Figure 5, a portion of the garment hanger being shown in horizontal cross-section;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view similar to Figure 5, but showing the waistband-engaging portions of the garment hanger flexed upwardly and engaging a garment, the garment being shown in dotted view;

Figure 8 is an enlarged, cross-sectional, detail View taken on line 8-8 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 to 4, I I generally designates the garment hanger, said hanger comprising a conventional hook portion I2 adapted to engage a supporting rail it, the reference numerals I4, I4 indicating outwardly and downwardly curved arms which are employed to support the shoulder portions of a garment, such as a coat or the like. The shoulder portions l4, I4 are preferably formed from a single piece of wire looped,

Application January 13, 1950, Serial No. 138,385

4 Claims. (01. 223-) as shown at l5, l5, and twisted, as shown at It, 16, one end of the wire being bent upwardly and shaped to define the hook I2, and the other end of the wire. being twisted around an aux-- iliary piece of wire El, one end of which is looped around the twisted portions of the first wire at It to lock said twisted portions. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the two pieces of wireextend downwardly and are twisted together below the hook i2 and terminate in horizontal U-bends shown at it, 28. Clamped in the U-bends I9, 20 is a resilient bar member 2| made of spring metal or other suitable resilient material, the ends of. the spring arm 2i curving upwardly, as shown at 22, 22, and being formed with inwardly facing bowed portions 23, 23 which terminate in outwardly facing bowed or hook portions 24, 24.

In using the hanger, the spring bar 21 is engaged with the waistband portion of a skirt, a pair of trousers, or a similar garment, designated in dotted view at 2d, the bowed portions 23, 23 being engaged immediately below diametrically opposite portions of the waistband of the gemment in the manner shown in Figure 2. The ends of the hook portions 2d, 24 are thereby poSitioned immediately above the waistband of the garment, as shown in Figure 2. It will be noted from Figure 2 that the weight of the garment therefore produces downward forces on bowed portions 23, 23, tending to increase the curvature of and increase the distance between said bowed portions 23, 23, thereby developing outward horizontal thrust on the garment at the points engaged by said bowed portions, whereby the gripping efiect of the spring bar 2! is increased. Inasmuch as the bar member 2! is resilient, a wide range of sizes of garments may be engaged by the bowed portions 23, 23 in the manner shown in Figure 2, since the side portions 22, 22 may be flexed upwardly to a substantial degree. The resiliency of the bar member 2| combined with the weight of the arment acts to produce outward gripping forces on the bowed portions 23, 23, thereby securely holding the garments in suspended position.

The bar member 2| may be made of flat stock, as shown in Figure 4, or may be made of stock having any other suitable cross-section.

Referring now to Figures 5 to 8, a modification is disclosed wherein the hanger comprises a vertical supporting element 3! having a horizontal top arm 32 which is secured to a suitable plate 33 which may be fastened to a wall or other vertical supporting surface. Secured to the lower end of the supporting member 3| is a horizontally extending, narrow channel member 34 formed of sheet metal or the like. Removably secured in the narrow channel member 34 is a spring bar 35 of fiat, resilient material, such as spring steel or other suitable resilient material, said bar being covered at its external portions with leather, plastic, fabric, or other suitable protective material, said coverings being indicated at 3B, 36. The end portions of the spring bar are bent to define inwardly facing bowed portions 31, 31 terminating in outwardly facing bowed portions 38, 38.

In using the hanger of Figures 5 to 8, the bowed portions 31, 31 are engaged immediately beneath diametrically opposite waistband portions of the garment, the garment being indicated in dotted view at 38, the waistband of the garment, shown at 39, being received in the inwardly bowed portions 38, 3B. As in the previously-described embodiment of the invention, the weight of the garment, combined with the resilienc of the spring bar 35, produces outward thrust at the bowed portions 37, 31, whereby the garment is securely gripped. The spring bar 35 may be readily disengaged from the channel 34 when it is desired to remove the garment from the hanger, whereby disengagement of the sprin bar 35 may be accomplished more readily than if the spring bar remained attached to the supporting member 3|. The arms of the spring bar may be flexed inwardly by grasping the extremities 38, 38 and exerting inward pressure thereon, whereby the garment 38' may be readily slipped ofi the spring bar.

While certain specific embodiments of an improved garment hanger for supporting skirts, trousers and similar garments have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a garment hanger, a vertical supporting member and a U-shaped resilient spring bar, the lower end of said vertical supporting member being provided with a horizontal channel element receiving the mid-portion of said spring bar, said spring bar having its legs extending upwardly and said legs being provided at their free ends with S-bends, each S-bend comprising an inwardly facing inner bowed portion forming a shoulder adapted to engage a garment and an outwardly facing outer bowed portion forming a hook receiving the upper band of the garment.

2. In a garment hanger, a vertical supporting member, a horizontal channel element secured to the lower end of said vertical supporting member, a flat U-shaped resilient spring bar, the intermediate portion of said spring bar being detachably received in said horizontal channel element, said spring bar having its legs curved upwardly, S-bends formed on the free ends of said spring bar, each S-bend comprising an inwardly facing inner bowed portion and an outwardly facing outer bowed portion.

3. In a garment hanger, a vertical support member, a U-shaped resilient spring bar detachably secured at its mid-portion to the lower end of said vertical support member, with the legs of said bar being curved upwardly and being provided at their free terminals with S-bends, each S-bend comprising an inwardly facing inner bowed portion and an outwardly facing outer bowed portion, and sheathing material enclosing the end portions of said spring bar.

4. In a garment hanger, a vertical supporting member, connecting means formed on the lower end thereof, a U-shaped resilient bar detachably supported at its center point by the connecting means, said bar having opposing upwardly extending legs, garment receiving means formed on the upper free ends of each of the legs, said last means including an ofiset outwardly projecting U-shaped shoulder engageable on the inner surface of the waist portion of a garment, and a hook terminal on the terminal point of the free leg of the shoulder, said hook terminal facing outwardly and overlying the waist portion of the garment.

ROBERT H. REYNOLDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 702,619 Black June 17, 1902 766,250 Hermann Aug. 2, 1904 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,332 Great Britain 1911 

